1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measuring methods and apparatus for quantifying various physical phenomena or chemical phenomena.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, light is used to convert physical phenomena or chemical phenomena into electric charges for measurement. Irradiating photo-diodes with the light generates the electron-hole pair corresponding to the light quantity. The light quantity is changed to the quantity of electric charges, and is measured by evaluating the quantity of electric charges. However, in physical and chemical phenomena other than light, in almost all cases, they are converted to electric signals such as voltage values, electric current values, resistance values, etc., and these values are read.
For example, there are thermocouples using the Seebeck effect in which potential difference is generated on both ends when different temperatures are applied to both ends of a certain metal wire. This is intended to join two kinds of different metals, and the temperature of the joined portion is determined from the potential difference generated at both ends. The measurement of pH using an ISFET (ion-sensitive field-effect transistor) is achieved by changing the channel conductance below the pH-sensitive gate insulator by absorbing the hydrogen ion and measuring the pH value of the solution by measuring the drain current in accord with the change.
In either of the measurement methods illustrated above, accumulation and transfer, which are handling methods special to electric charges, are unable to be carried out, and it is extremely difficult to simultaneously take in information at a plurality of points and process at high speed or visualize the measurement results.